Currently, base station receivers, microwave transmission receivers, or terminal radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC) receivers basically receive signals only at a single frequency band at a same time point, and a future evolution requirement is to concurrently receive signals at multiple frequency bands using ultra-wideband. With regard to a solution to concurrent multi-band receiving, there is no good solution currently. A most direct and basic architecture is implemented by simply connecting two or more single-band receivers in parallel.
If channels at multiple frequency bands all adopt a superheterodyne digital intermediate frequency (DIF) architecture, a cost, area, and power consumption of a multi-band receiver are multiple times those of a single-band receiver. For a 3rd Generation (3G)/4th Generation (4G) base station, the number of components is relatively large and power consumption is relatively large. In addition, frequencies of voltage-controlled oscillator (VCOs) on channels are mutually independent and relatively close to each other, and therefore monolithic integration is inappropriate.
If channels at multiple frequency bands all adopt a zero intermediate frequency (ZIF) architecture, an integration level of each channel can be improved to some extent, but a cost, area, and power consumption of a multi-band receiver is multiple times those of a single-band receiver. When the zero intermediate frequency architecture is used in a Global System for Mobile communications (GSM) of a base station for multi-carrier receiving, image rejection and input second-order intercept point (IIP2) problems restricts an actual application. In addition, frequencies of VCOs on channels are mutually independent and relatively close to each other, and therefore monolithic integration is inappropriate.
As a solution, a zero intermediate frequency architecture may be adopted on a part of channels at multiple frequency bands, and a superheterodyne architecture may be adopted on other channels at the multiple frequency bands in order to combine advantages of the zero intermediate frequency architecture and the superheterodyne architecture, for example, allowing a signal in a scenario where linearity is not highly required such as a 3G/4G signal to go through a zero intermediate frequency channel and allowing a signal that requires high linearity such as a 2nd Generation (2G) signal to go through a superheterodyne channel. However, in a process of implementing the present disclosure, the inventor finds that frequencies of VCOs on channels are mutually independent and relatively close to each other, and therefore monolithic integration is still inappropriate, thereby increasing complexity of solution configuration.